Galle set for free, fair poll
Mahinda P. Liyanage Galle Central Special Corr.
All is set for a free and fair election on Saturday, facilitating
761,815 voters of 10 electorates in the Galle district at 670 polling
stations to elect 23 councillors for the Southern Provincial Council,
Galle District Returning Officer Asoka Jayasekara told the Daily News.
A 10,000 workforce has been deployed for the proper and smooth
functioning of the election.
Special pools of officers have also been established at each of the
19 Divisional Secretariats of the district headed by Divisional
Secretaries.
These officers stationed at the Divisional Secretariats will be
utilized to fill the vacancies that might occur owing to various
unexpected reasons and also to attend and serve any election related
matters of urgency, Jayasekara said.
He said two Assistant Returning Officers who are directly responsible
for the District Returning Officer have been appointed to each of the
Divisional Secretariats who will handle and attend to all election
connected procedures within the relevant Secretariat territory.
Any malpractice or breach of election law would be promptly brought
to the notice of the District Returning Officer who will refer such
matters to the Elections Commissioner for action. Two police officers’
services will be available for every AROs.
The assigning of officers to polling booths will commence tomorrow
from 8 am. All SPOs have been instructed to collect their share of
documents and polling cards from the officers in charge at the
district’s main issuing and collecting centre at Southlands Girls’
College, Fort, Galle.
Seventy five counting centres have been established out of which 69
are at Southlands College and six at All Saints’ Central College. In
addition to officers in Galle district, 500 officers from Provincial
councils have been called for the vote counting process. Only authorized
representatives of recognized parties and independent groups would be
allowed entry to the counting centres on production of a valid identity
card.
No voter would be permitted to cast a vote unless he or she produces
a valid identity card. The National Identity Card issued by the
Department of Registration of Persons, valid Driving Licence or
Passport, State Retirement Identity Card, Adult Identity Card, special
identity card issued to the clergy by the Department of Registration of
Persons and temporary identity cards issued by the Elections Department
are among the accepted identity cards to cast a vote.
Any person who does not possess a valid identity card can get a
temporary one through the respective Grama Seva Niladharis . A
photograph of the voter certified by the Grama Seva Niladhari
authenticated by the Divisional Secretary would be issued by the
Department of Elections as a temporary identity card.
On the day of the election no one will be allowed to enter the
premises of polling centres other than voters, polling booth officers,
secretaries of political parties, leaders of independent groups,
authorized polling booth representatives and observers, assigned police
officers and persons given authority by the district Returning Officer.
Use of mobile phones, taking photographs, video filming and possession
of weapons are prohibited within the premises of polling centres. All
types of election propaganda campaigns were stopped with effect from
midnight Wednesday under the Election Law.
There are 10 electorates in the Galle district with the Hiniduma
electorate topping the number of voters with 94,245 while Baddegama
electorate has the second highest number with 89,805 voters. Balapitiya
has the lowest number with 50,109 voters.
The total number of voters in other electorates are: Ambalangoda
68,780, Karandeniya 84,772, Rathgama 74,442 and Habaraduwa 76,190.
|
